


The Violet Sea

by musicals_musicals



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Author Pretends to Know About Medical Stuff, Author Pretends to Know About Ships and the Ocean, Boats and Ships, Childhood Memories, F/F, Fairy Tale Elements, Multi, Pirates, Questionable Time Jumps, Swordfighting, Swords, Unspecified Timeline, Violence, cannons, like real cannons, thats what weve been missing, we really needed a newsbians pirate au right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2020-03-09 10:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18914944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicals_musicals/pseuds/musicals_musicals
Summary: Katherine would like to think she makes a pretty badass pirate, she ran away from the Pulitzer kingdom when she was seventeen and has instead devoted her life to taking down her father and cousin, also after apprenticing under the best pirate to ever have sailed the seas she now owns her own ship with her own crew full of people she would trust with her life. Also she might have a huge crush on Sarah Jacobs, not that that matters.





	1. Dramatic Backstory...

**Author's Note:**

> The real question is: Was this fic inspired by A. That pirate DBQ on the APWH test, B.The fact that I've had to watch the sword fighting scene from princess bride like 8 times in the last two days, C. Reading one too many fantasy/pirate/fairytale fics?

**_17 years ago_ **

“Unhand that gold pirate!” Jack called pointing his stick at where Katherine was balanced on top of the fence, casting a shadow over the ground where Jack stood.

Eight year old Katherine stuck out her tongue and held the gold out of reach, pointing her own stick at Jack “Never!” Katherine adjusted her homemade eye patch and jumped off the fence. She stumbled when she landed, nearly twisting her ankle on a root sticking out of the ground, but recovered quickly and standing tall. “It belongs to the people of Plumber!”

“You stole it from the kingdom!” Jack swung his stick at Katherine’s side and she blocked it clumsily. They swung the sticks at each other, enjoying the loud cracking noises that came when the sticks met. They both froze when the top of Jack’s stick flew off in another direction. “Huh, I don’t think real swords would do that” 

Katherine giggled and knocked Jack’s hat off his head with her hand “I still win” Katherine collected what was left of Jack’s stick and held it in the air “Victory!”

“No!” Jack knocked Katherine to the ground and tried to grab the canvas bag that was full of ‘gold’. Katherine shoved at Jack’s shoulders, too caught up in the wrestling to notice approaching footsteps.

“Katherine Lily Pulitzer! What do you think you’re doing?” King Pulitzer yelled, he kicked over the makeshift kingdom that Katherine and Jack had built out of rocks and sticks and picked up the bag that had been tossed aside in the scuffle “This isn’t proper!” Katherine and Jack stood up guiltily, the former moving to stand in front.

“I’m a pirate” Katherine crossed her arms and jutted out her chin, straightening out her pirate hat that was made from excess paper she found around the castle.

“You are not a  _ pirate _ ” Pulitzer reprimanded, his words curling in disgust “Pirates are evil, you are a lady” Pulitzer took in the dirt stains that littered Katherine's dress and skin “Or you’re supposed to be”

“But I want to be a pirate” Katherine pointed at the nearby docks and at the ship that was parked there “Like Miss Medda”

Pulitzer ignored his daughter “Is that the peasant boy again?” Pulitzer pointed threateningly and Jack took the hint to run “How did you even get out here?” Pulitzer looked between his daughter and the wall that surrounded the castle that Katherine was supposed to be inside.

“A pirate never tells” Katherine promised. If her father knew how she got out, she might never be able to get out again.

Pulitzer rolled his eyes and took ahold of Katherine's arm to drag her back to the castle “You cannot be a pirate"

\-----

**_12 years ago_ **

“This is the third ship we’ve lost to Larkin this month!” Pulitzer yelled, slamming his hands on the table hard enough to shake Katherine’s water glass. “What do you mean we can’t stop her?!”

Katherine listened curiously as the poor man who would probably lose his job struggled to explain. At thirteen she still wasn’t allowed at board meetings, so sitting at the breakfast table during her father's session with an advisor was her best source of information.

“-well you see the Bowery has more ammunition than our ships are loaded with, and she will only stop if you retract some of your more recent policies” Katherine wasn’t even sure what the man’s name was, as the position was rarely filled for more than a week. 

“You are expecting me to take orders from some filthy pirate!” Pulitzer slammed his hand down again (Katherine counted four times this morning). “Give the ships more ammunition! I want that pirate gone!”

“Sir, any more cannons and the ship will run a high risk of capsizing” The advisor explained, shuffling through a large stack of papers.

Katherine accidentally caught her father’s eye and hurried to look back at the paper she was “reading”. The food from breakfast was already cleared and Katherine was running out of excuses to stay and listen.

“If you aren’t going to help get me someone who can” Pulitzer stood up and towered over the advisor “And consider your employment terminated, along with that of your wife”

“Wait, Sir–"

“And you will address me by your majesty. NOW GO!” Pulitzer pointed at the door and the now fired advisor nearly ran out the door. Pulitzer turned back to the table, muttering under his breath and Katherine took the chance to make her escape before he turned his anger on her. His voice followed her out the door, "-those damn awful pirates”

\-------

**_8 years ago_ **

“Jack, I’m leaving to become a pirate. Are you with me?” Katherine pushed her way into Jack’s small cottage as soon as he opened the door. Her hair was tied up neatly on top of her head and the meager belongings she was interested in keeping were tucked in an unassuming cloth bag that matched the rest of her drab clothing.

“What?” Jack closed the door behind Katherine and stared at her while he processed the words. It seemed she had woken him, even though it was only eight in the morning.

“I am going to become a pirate,” Katherine said slowly. She gestured out the window at the small dock that housed the Pulitzer trade “I will be hopping aboard that trading ship, and stowing away until we reach the nearest market, at which I plan to seek out Medda Larkin in the hopes that she will allow me to join her crew, where I may apprentice under her leadership. If she does not, or I cannot find her I will instead start my own crew with you and skip the apprentice stage, and learn from my mistakes. I will be targeting my father’s ships, in the hope that I will be able to shut down the unethical market he has set up”

Jack blinked twice and pinched his arm “Am I dreaming?”

“No,” Katherine took a cup out of Jack’s cupboard and filled it with coffee that was sitting on the stove.

“Why don’t you just wait to inherit the kingdom later this year?” Jack asked, still catching up with Katherine's plans.

“Two weeks ago Pulitzer went behind my back in order to arrange is so that my cousin is set to inherit the kingdom instead. He plans to send me off to a proper suiter at whose kingdom I will be trapped and my opinions silenced” Katherine put the cup down more forcefully than necessary, the anger was still very much present and buzzing in the back of her mind. "I have only found out about this deal last night at dinner"

“Are you sure about this?” Jack asked. While she was answering he left Katherine in the kitchen and went back to his bedroom to pack. The question was only courtesy, as with most things Katherine planned, Jack was sure that this was already set in stone and she would be going with or without him.

“Absolutely” Katherine had never been more sure about anything. She was the best suited person to take down the Pulitzer empire, the only person with enough knowledge about the inner workings of the kingdom and the drive to put a stop to it.

Jack walked out of his bedroom with a bag that matched Katherine’s “Well then what are we waiting for?”

\-------

**_2 years ago_ **

“Bring the ship around the north. We can cut them off there” Katherine brushed her unevenly cut hair out of her eyes and traced the path of the opposing ship in comparison with theirs. It had been over six years since 17 year old Katherine (and Jack) had made their escape from the kingdom, and needless to say things had changed. Katherine was sure that this current plan would work perfectly, cutting off the ships escape route and giving her ship a perfect angle to use the cannons. “Smalls are you ready”

“As always, Captain” Smalls nodded and carefully aimed the canons so that they’d be ready. As Sniper liked to say Smalls was their explosion person, anything that needed to be blown up, be it the canons, another ship, or even enough of an abandoned building to cause a good distraction (You only spend the night and break out of jail once before you start setting up an emergency distraction for all missions).

“Perfect” Katherine jumped down from where she was balanced on the mast and smoothly rolled to absorb the impact before ending up back to her feet. She had apprenticed under Medda Larkin for 4 years, learning from the best, and now here she was. As she always did before battle Katherine began to count heads, but stopped when she came up short one “Where’s Jack?”

“He’s probably writing sappy love letters again” Buttons offered. She posed dramatically and began speaking in a bad impression of Jack “He was the prettiest boy I’ve even seen, eyes that lit up like the first rays of sun through a cloud” She rolled her eyes and tossed back her skirt that she had specifically made for raid days “We get it. You’re an artist”

“Jack!” Katherine called “If you aren’t up here in ten seconds I’m promoting Jojo to first mate and you can clean the kitchen for Sniper”

“I’m here, I’m here” Jack popped out from below deck “Was Buttons making fun of me again? I could tell”

“Never” Buttons kissed Jack on the cheek teasingly before flipping him off. No one on the ship was quite sure what kind of history Jack and Buttons have, but nearly everyone had a guess (some bets may have been exchanged).

“I’m waiting” Katherine grabbed Jack’s elbow and pulled him to the edge of the ship “We have a job to do”

\-----

Katherine swung onto the ship, enjoying the solid thunk that sounded when her boots hit the wood. She observed the fight that her crew was winning. The sailors on the ship were dropping left and right, a majority surrendering when they realized how outmatched they were. Katherine walked purposely across the deck, staring down the closest sailor who just surrendered to Buttons. Katherine pulled the man to his feet by his collar and pinned him against the mast. “Where is the captain of this ship?”

“Down,” The soldier barked, eyeing the knife Katherine held against his neck “Below deck, with the prisoners”

“Shit,” Katherine dropped the man and nodded at Buttons, who took Katherine's place guarding the sailor “Jojo, we have prisoners to rescue!”

“Coming!” Jojo brought down the butt of her sword on the sailor she had been fighting and ran over to walk beside Katharine “How many prisoners?”

“No idea,” Katherine opened the door to below decks and listened for a second before leading the way, sword at ready “Be on the lookout”

Jojo nodded and followed Katherine’s lead. The hallway was dark and suspiciously silent, all the windows were covered with a layer of grime think enough to block out the reflection of the sun on the waves. Katherine held her sword at ready while she rounded the next corner and stopped short…

Katherine found herself face to face with the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was a light brown and was tied out of her face in a hasty braid, and her eyes were a soft brown that shone with determination. The woman was leading a crowd of what appeared to be ten girls ageing anywhere from 15 to 21, though the woman in front seemed to be the oldest. “Who are you?” The woman pointed her sword at Katherine, a tremor running up her arm.

Jojo raised her eyebrows when Katherine made no move to respond and spoke herself “Are you captives on this ship?” Jojo stepped forward slowly and waited for a response.

“Not anymore” The woman moved her sword to point at Jojo and backed up slightly, her arm out to block the other girls. 

“We’re here to help you” Katherine blurted after finally remembering how to speak. “I’m Captain Plumber and we’ve just captured this ship in order to return any stolen resources or prisoners to where they belong”

The woman looked suspicious, still unwilling to trust that Katherine’s intentions were pure. “Why?”

“Because what King Pulitzer does is wrong and–”

“No I know that” The woman cut Katherine off “Why should I trust you?

“Because we want to help you” Jojo cut in, “We have food and medical supplies to share and we will help you return to your home”

“Hmm,” The woman looked at Jojo critically before seeming to come to a decision “Fine, but” The woman turned back to Katherine and took a conscious step into her personal space. “Why should I trust you  _ Captain _ ”

Katherine was once again at a loss for words, looking dead into the woman’s eyes. She could kill this woman in a second, but her sword dangled useless at her side. Katherine wanted nothing more than to kiss this amazing woman, with bravery and confidence that Katherine could only begin to understand, but instead she straightened her back, and cleared her throat “I am only here to help”

“Fine, we will go with you, but I am keeping this sword” The woman nodded encouragingly at the girls behind her and what looked like the youngest ran up to take her hand. “We were taken from our town during the night, and trapped on this ship” Sarah explained, answering the unasked question.

Katherine suddenly remembered why they had ended up below deck “We were told that the captain is down here”

Sarah smiled and pointed behind her back where they had come from “He is currently knocked unconscious in a cell. He was not expecting a fight”

Katherine did not think she could be more in love with anyone. “Wow”

Jojo seemed to have figured out what was going on with Katherine “What is your name Miss?”

“My name is Sarah Jacobs”


	2. Some Traditional Robin-Hooding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While returning stolen supplies to a nearby town Katherine is given a new perspective by an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys I am so so excited about this fic right now. I have three chapters done and number four has been started. I really love how this chapter turned out (also wow that is a bad chapter summary just read the chapter)

**_Present time_ **

Everything shook when the ship finally docked in the small trading town. The crew immediately went to work unloading the boxes upon boxes that were stacked on the deck for this very purpose. The usual people were waiting down on the dock ready to help with the unloading as soon as the gangplank was lowered.

“Captain Plumber, how was the trip?” A figure on the dock asked. Katherine leaned over the edge of the ship.

“Medda?” Katherine blinked a couple of times to figure out if she was seeing correctly. Last time she had seen her old teacher she had been running her own pirate ship, stopping and looting Pulitzer ships full of stolen cargo. Katherine couldn’t imagine how Medda ended up in Manhattan of all places. Manhattan was a small town that was forgotten enough that Pulitzer ships frequently looted it, and because of that Katherine’s ship docked there at least 4 times every year. “What are you doing here?”

“Shh, it’s Medea here” Medda put her finger over her lips before shooing Katharine off “Go help your crew unload, we can talk later”

Katherine wanted to ask more questions, but instead forced herself to go back to her crew. It was probably good, as she was just in time to keep Buttons from toppling over from carrying a large crate. “Let me help”

“Thanks Cap” Buttons and Katherine worked together to get the crate off the ship before walking back up.

Within an hour the entire ship was unloaded, and now came the hard part of figuring out what supplies when where. Esther was a representative from the town who always helped with the redistributing of stolen goods. Katherine cracked open one of the crates with and they examined the contents. “That looks like look from the tailor” Esther offered, she picked up a piece of cloth to examine it closely and nodded, content with her choice.

“Buttons! Can you return this box to the tailor and pick up any supplies we might need” Katherine looked up at the ship when no one came down the gangplank “Buttons!

“Here” Button jumped over the edge of the ship and landed next to Katherine “Sorry I was busy”

Katherine chose not to comment on the red lipstick traces on Buttons’ face. “Supplies. Tailor. Go”

“Going!” Buttons took the crate. “it’s nice to see you Esther!”

Esther smiled and waved at Buttons when she ran off. “Let’s get back to those other boxes”

———

With Jack’s help the stolen supplies were all sent off before sundown. Katherine finally let out a breath when the last box was unpacked and she collapsed against an empty crate. “Thanks for your help, Esther”

“It’s no problem, would you like to have dinner with my family tonight?” Esther offered

“No thank you, I need to get back to work” Katherine responded. Esther asked her everytime the ship docked in Manhattan, but Katherine always denied. It seemed too normal and weird to have dinner with Esther, anyway Katherine had plans.

Two years ago when she first met Sarah this was the town where all the girls had been taken from, and it was where Katherine’s crew left them, the trip hadn’t taken very long, but Katherine did get a chance to get to know Sarah. And now whenever they docked in manhattan Katherine went out to look for Sarah, it was stupid and a waste of time, but Katherine enjoyed it. It was also a good way to get to know the people in the small town. Katherine had never actually run into Sarah, but she tried. Though tonight she had another stop first.

Katherine followed the instructions Medda had given her to a small cottage on the edge of town. As she walked up the path Katherine curiously noted multiple traps set around the path, all disabled. “Miss Medd- I mean Medea”

“Katherine, give me a second to unlock the door” Medda called from inside. There were a couple of clicking noises, most likely more traps, just in case. The door swung open to reveal Medda Larkin “Come give me a hug!”

Hugging Medda reminded Katherine of home. Medda’s ship was one of the first places where she felt like she could be herself and still be supported. Medda was family for her and for Jack, like a mother that Katherine never had when she was growing up. “I missed you” Katherine admitted, her face buried in Medda’s shoulder.

“I missed you too Katherine” Never the first to pull away, Medda hugged Katherine until the woman backed off. “Now where is that Jack Kelly? Too busy to visit me?”

Katherine laughed and followed Medda into the kitchen “He’s busy tonight, we think it’s the mystery boy he’s in love with”

“Of course, always had a hand for drama that one” Medda offered Katherine a steaming mug that she accepted gratefully. You never turn down Medda Larkin’s hot chocolate, even in the summer.

“Oh he still does” Katherine agreed. Though they had both joined Medda’s crew at the same time, Katherine knew that Medda and Jack had known each other back when she was still in good standing with the Pulitzer kingdom. Luckily Medda had been just as happy to take in Katherine too, even taking her under her wing. Katherine and Medda had a different relationship than Jack and Medda, but they were both just as close to Medda. “So how did you end up here?”

Medda smiled and patted Katherine’s hand “In case you haven’t realized, I’m done with the pirate stuff. I’m living a life where I’m not constantly on the run, I get to stay in one place and get to know the people in this town, some of whom still recognize me from my pirate days, some who are too young and have forgotten. I ended up here shortly after you and Jack left, and I decided why not stay? You and Jack are doing just as good a job as I did, probably better, and the sea doesn’t need me as desperately anymore”

“Oh,” Katherine looked down into her cup of hot chocolate. Everything Medda said made sense, but the idea of Medda stopping and settling down was hard to process.

“I wouldn’t say I’m settling down” Medda teased. Katherine blushed when she realized that she had accidentally spoken out loud. “I’m still fighting, just in a different way”

“I just don’t really get it” Katherine admitted. She could never imagine giving up the sea and her sword, there was so much she would miss. The feeling of justice every time a Pulitzer ship went down in flames, the contentment she felt sitting out on the deck with a loyal crew, the rush of adrenaline always present during storms.

“Don’t worry hun, I’m still here whenever you need me” Medda promised “Not that you need me”

“Thanks Medda” Katherine finished her hot chocolate and forced a smile “I should get going, Jack is planning to come by tomorrow morning”

“Good,” Medda hugged Katherine one last time “I know that I left the sea in capable hands. I’ve seen what you can do all by yourself. With Jack and that wonderful crew by your side, it’ll make my adventures seem like nothing”

Katherine nodded, she felt already felt near tears and if she said anything, she would start crying, and it wouldn’t do any good for the Captain to cry. So instead she stayed silent and let Medda lead her out of the gate.

\----

The market was still bustling when Katherine arrived, everyone doing their last minute trade when the prices were lowest. Katherine walked through the market, too caught up in thought to do anything else. Her stomach grumbled and Katherine realized that other than Medda’s hot chocolate, she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Katherine stopped at one of the booths to trade a coin for an apple, exchanging niceties with the booth owner who recognized her.

“You brought back my niece, and now she’s in her last year of school” The booth owner shared, the woman leaned over and handed back the coin “Take it”

“Thank you” Katherine had tried to refuse things like this before and it rarely worked. “I’m glad I could help”

The booth owner waved when Katherine left, and Katherine caught a glimpse of the young girl she had rescued who must be the woman’s niece. Katherine made her way around town, stopping anywhere that was open to see all the people she had met throughout the years.

Katherine could almost see why Medda might want to stay.

Katherine stayed out until darkness had fallen and most people had cleaned up to go home. She didn’t see Sarah at any point, but that wasn’t surprising. Katherine hadn’t once even caught a glimpse of the woman who had stolen her heart. It was probably a good thing, for all she knew Sarah had forgotten about her and gotten married, or moved away to another town. Katherine was just lost in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, full transparency I have not yet figured out what Katherine's ship is named so if anyone has any ideas please let me know, I have no ideas. Please comment and stuff if you want to make my day!


	3. Jacobs is a common last name, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back on when Sarah and Katherine first met. Later Katherine brings a box that got left on the ship to Esther's house and meets her son for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am determined! to somehow keep a consistent update schedule. Stupidly enough I managed to start this the week before finals, but I think that I wrote enough chapters in advance and it is going to happen. Yes the summary is bad I know leave me alone.

_ “Hey, Katherine was it?” Katherine turned around, her guard already up, but only found Sarah. The other girls were either asleep or getting their injuries treated by Buttons and Sniper. _

_ “Yes, Katherine that’s me!” Katherine mentally groaned at her poor word choice and felt like throwing herself overboard, she was supposed to be good with words! _

_ “Okay Kath” Sarah teased “I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere quiet” _

_ Katherine loved the way Sarah was saying her shortened name. It made the butterflies in her stomach soar. “I would love to! I know a place” _

_ Sarah followed next to Katherine, but let her lead the way. As they got farther from the other girls Sarah’s shoulders sagged and she looked more and more tired. Katherine led them to a corner of the deck and they both leaned against the rail. Sarah’s eyes drifted shut and Katherine thought she had fallen asleep. “Two days” _

_ “What?” Katherine looked at Sarah, but her eyes were still closed. _

_ “I have been awake for two days now” Sarah explained she opened her eyes and turned to face Katherine “Twenty four hours of those days I spent on that god awful ship” Sarah ran a hand back through her hair and groaned defeatedly when it got caught on the braid that was falling out. _

_ “Here” Katherine moved behind Sarah and began to carefully undo the knotted braid, carefully brushing out the strands. _

_ “I couldn’t sleep on the ship, I was too worried I’d wake up and one of those girls would be gone” Sarah’s shoulders shook “I couldn’t let that happen. So I stayed awake and I watched and as soon as possible I was trying to escape. There was no plan, but I knew that I couldn’t let those assholes take us to wherever we were going!” _

_ “I’m sorry” Katherine offered, she felt like she should be saying more, but all her words dissipated around Sarah. Katherine finished brushing out Sarah’s long hair and scooted back so that they were once again side by side. _

_ Sarah leaned against Katherine’s shoulder and covered her face with her hands “I know their families. All of them. Manhattan is a small town, and if I went back without one of them, I’d see the parents and I’d have to live with that every day. Every time I looked at my little brothers I would have to remember the girl I couldn’t save” Katherine didn’t comment on the tears that were falling into her lap, she just ran her fingers through Sarah’s hair in the hope that she could offer some form of comfort. _

_ “You don’t need to save everyone” Katherine tried, it was what Medda always told her when she was spreading herself too thin. _

_ Sarah laughed bitterly “I’m sure you believe that” Sarah looked Katherine in the eye “You’re telling me you wouldn’t have done the exact same thing? I haven’t known you very long Kath, but you seem like the noble type” _

_ “I am” Katherine admitted. They sat in silence and Katherine couldn’t help the way her eyes couldn’t stop looking at Sarah, seeing the way her eyes moved back and forth even though she was tired, the way her hand were grabbing at nothing, the way her eyes were pinned on Katherine’s own. "But I have to be. That's why I'm here, I need to help people" _

_ "Not a very common motivation for a pirate" Sarah pointed out. _

_ "The thing I do only hurt the people who deserve it" Katherine promised. She hurt her father, she hurt the people on Pulitzers ships who knew damn well that what they were doing was wrong but still did it. _

_ Sarah considered Katherine's words "I'm going to kiss you" _

_ Katherine found herself yet again at a loss for words. When she felt Sarah's lips brush hers it was like something clicked. Katherine reached out to take a hold of Sarah's waist, pulling her impossibly closer. She almost expected Sarah to push her away, but instead the other woman laughed and pushed Katherine farther back until they were laying down. The deck maybe wasn't the most private place, but with the rushing of the waves and the cover of the stars it felt like the most private place ever. Katherine could feel Sarah's hands everywhere, in her hair, on her back, holding tightly to her upper arm.  _

_ "This is amazing" Sarah mummered, pulling her head back and letting Katherine's lips trail down her neck. _

_ "One thing" Katherine looked around to get her bearings before flipping them in one smooth movement. Sarah looked side to side, disoriented by the sudden move, before laughing and messily kissing Katherine. _

_ "Amazing," Sarah repeated. _

_ Katherine got lost in the feeling of kissing Sarah. This wouldn't last in the morning, Sarah needed to go and Katherine wasn't in a good position to have a relationship. One night could be enough. _

_ \------ _

Katherine woke with the sun in her eyes and Jack's face inches from hers "What the fuck?!"

Jack grinned and tapped her on the nose "You overslept"

Katherine frowned and pushed Jack away so she could sit up "I was talking to Medda, then I went out and-"

"You were looking for Sarah again" Jack finished

"No I wasn't" Katherine could feel her cheeks heating up. She tried to keep her excursions a secret, but Jack had always known her the best.

“Anyway we need to get this ship on the road” Jack ignored Katherine’s objections and ran out of the room “Be dressed in ten!”

“I’m the captain here!” Katherine complained, not that there was any force behind the words. She set to work getting dressed, tightening buckles and tying an unnecessary number of ties. Once her boots were on Katherine was out the door, sheathing her sword and closing the door hard enough to shake the wall.

“Captain there you are!” Rafaela waved from where she was balanced on the mast, her clothes blowing dramatically in the wind. Rafaela was the most recent addition to the crew, though Katherine had known her for a long time as one of the few traders Katherine was willing to work with.

“Yeah, sorry I’m late everyone. Now we need to get back to work” Katherine took the pastry Sniper offered her and started preparing the ship to leave

“Hey Katherine. What’s in this box?” Jack pointed at a crate forgotten in the corner.

Katherine glanced inside the box and found an assortment of clothing and trinkets, “We must have missed a box, I’ll bring it to Esther” Katherine put what was left of the pastry in her mouth and picked up the box “This ship better be ready to go in seven minutes when I get back!”

Katherine waited until everyone agreed before leaving with the crate, she would have to hurry to make it back in time, luckily Esther’s house was close. Katherine had never been inside, but she walked Esther home once. The house was nice, the door painted in a dark shade of green and the windows all had nice purple curtains on the inside. Katherine knocked on the door and listened to the footsteps that hurried to get the door. A tall boy with black hair opened the door, only to look slightly disappointed when he saw Katherine. “Hello, I’m looking for Esther”

“MOM,” The boy called, he appeared to be Jack’s age, so about a year younger than Katherine. He looked critically at Katherine “Are you one of the pirates?”

“You could say that” Katherine felt it was best not to confirm anything, as she doesn’t really know anything about Esther’s children. “I’m Katherine”

“David Jacobs” David help out his hand for Katherine to shake

_ I didn't know Esther's last name was Jacobs. _ It was a common enough name, but Katherine found herself wondering what the odds were of there being two Jacobs families in this small town. "I'm here to give Esther this crate. We took it from a looting ship and somehow it wasn't returned yesterday" Katherine explained.

David nodded and Katherine was glad she wouldn't have to explain more in depth. He looked back in the house and shrugged "I guess my mom isn't here, but I can make sure she finds it when she gets back"

"Thank you" David let Katherine inside and directed her to the kitchen table where she put the crate, before saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of you! you've been super nice and supportive about this fic and I'm glad everyone is as excited about it as me! As usual leave comments because I live off of comments.


	4. Unfortunate Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine haas been in some unlucky situations, but hiding in the cargo hold of an enemy ship without her crew is a new one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the chapter we've all been waiting for (kinda). This update snuck up on me because I had such a busy weekend, so it's a little rough, and not as throughly edited as the other chapters.

The next time Katherine runs into Sarah Jacobs it’s purely by chance.

To say the least Katherine is having a rough day. You know, sometimes you’re leading your pirate crew as a fierce captain who takes no shit, and things take a negative turn. To be fair Katherine has been a little spacey recently. As much as she tries to keep her mind blank and undistracted, she can’t stop thinking about all the business with Medda.

So anyway, here Katherine is, hiding in the cargo hold of a ship run by a crew that is under orders to kill her on sight.

_ It could be worse _ . Katherine considers. At least she has a weapon, her sword is still strapped to her side, and she is pretty sure her presence remains unnoticed.

It’s pure chance that she ended up in the cargo hold alone. Buttons was taking a break off ship with her sister for the week, but they decided to go after Pulitzer’s ship anyway. They had done plenty of raids down a person, it shouldn’t be a problem. Until Rafaela started puking and had to be sent down to medical to lie down. Down two people Katherine volunteered to scout the cargo hold while her crew mates took out the sailors. From there Katherine isn’t exactly sure what happened. The other ship must have had more people or better training, for whatever reason Katherine looked out the window and found her ship moving away and Buttons signaling that they’d find her.

Katherine impatiently watches out the window for land to come into sight. As soon as they dock she can make her get away and regroup while she waits for her crew to find her . Assuming they’re following protocol Jack should be acting as captain with Jojo as his first mate.

Katherine leaned against the crates stacked next to the window. She was in for a long wait.

\------

Katherine was drifting off a little when the ship finally pulled into dock. It was boring in the dark cargo hold and Katherine was eagerly waiting for some variation. The second the ship docked Katherine pushed herself out of the small window and dropped to the shaky dock. While she booked it towards town she could her the crew of the ship yelling at her, but Katherine didn’t look back.

\-------

From what Katherine could tell she was in Bronx, not far from Manhattan. Her estimate was that it would take her crew a little under 24 hours to reach her. Katherine ducked her head as she passed yet another wanted sign, she didn’t look anything like the girl in the picture. It had been taken when she still lived in the kingdom seven years ago, but it was good to be careful.

She turned a corner and ran smack dab into someone’s chest. Katherine backed off to find the captain of the ship she had just stowed away on. The man looked at her before he came to a realization.

“You’re that girl!” He lumbered forward to grab her arm and got a better look at her face. Katherine pulled back but it was already too late “And you’re Katherine Pulitzer”

_ Fight or flight _ . Katherine was a fighting person, but even she knew that the odds weren’t good. This captain had a crew that could back him up, and he was twice her size. Katherine decided to run. Turning on the heel of her foot Katherine spun around, going back the way she came. “Think Katherine think” She mumbled under her breath. She needed somewhere she could duck out of sight for the next couple hours, and maybe somewhere to sleep

Katherine wove between customers at the market, trying to blend in, but keep moving. Katherine veered left down an alleyway and drew up short. There were doors into the surrounding apartment buildings, but the alley was a dead end. Katherine pulled out her sword, she could fight her way out, easy. 

“Hey, Katherine in here!” A voice whispered. Suddenly Katherine was being pulled into a door in the apartment building to her left.

“What are you–” Katherine pushed someone away, and froze. She found Sarah Jacobs staring back at her with a finger over her lips.

“There’s no lock so you need to be quiet” Sarah instructed.

Katherine nodded, something about Sarah made her want to listen. Distantly Katherine heard her pursuers run into the alley, but they weren’t her primary concern. Instead she couldn’t help but focus on Sarah. Her long brown hair was tied up in a loose bun, with strands that framed her face. She was wearing simple clothes, a blouse and purple skirt, with some kind of silver necklace hanging low over her chest. She was just as beautiful as Katherine remembered.

“I think they’re gone” Sarah put her ear against the door, “Do you want to come the rest of the way inside?”

“Oh, sure” Katherine didn’t even realize there was more than their small alcove. Another door was right behind them, Katherine was wondering why they didn’t just go through the door, until Sarah opened it and it let out a piercing screech.

“Old door” Sarah explained, she led Katherine up a flight of stairs until they reached a small apartment.

“Thank you” Katherine found her words “I can’t believe you did that”

“No problem” Sarah shrugged “So do you want to explain that?”

“I probably have no choice” Katherine sat on the green couch and Sarah joined her.

“Damn right” Sarah laughed “I haven’t seen you in what? 2 years. Yet here you are nearly breaking down my door”

“That might be an overstatement” Katherine felt a smile tug at her lips. She wasn’t exactly sure what her relationship with Sarah Jacobs is. They aren’t together, and Katherine isn’t even sure if they can be classified as friends, due to the fact that they had only spent about 18 hours together once.  Sure Katherine sometimes went out of her way for the chance to maybe “bump into” Sarah randomly.

“Fine fine. I still want an explanation” Sarah insisted. She gave Katherine the  _ look _ not that Katherine needed it, she would tell Sarah anything.

“It’s a long story” Katherine sighed, she had a feeling that Sarah didn’t mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading you guys are awesome!! I'm trying, but it's finals so the next chapter might be a little late. Please leave comments to if you want to make my day, and find me on tumblr.


	5. A Short Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is Jack actually writing those sappy love letters to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news schools over today so I have slightly more free time. Bad news that means that I am now starting drivers ed and softball is picking up. So for this chapter we've taken a slight step back, as it's that night the ship spent in manhattan, but I think that it still makes sense.

Jack slowly opened the door to the deck of the ship and looked out. Sniper was on watch, Jack found her sitting on the edge of the quarter deck. There was a splash off ship and she stood up to walk over and inspect it. Jack took his chance to scurry across the deck and land in a roll on the dock. That was easier than usual, usually he had more trouble getting off the ship without being seem. Though the crew didn’t really care where Jack went, but Jack wanted to be careful.

He ducked into the woods as soon as he reached the shore and his feet easily found the path he took. Jack walked silently down the worn trail. His boots falling soundlessly on the cover of pine needles, that effectively hid any footprints. On a habit Jack reached down to feel the handle of his sword before he remembered it wasn’t there. A sword was a good way to stick out if anyone happened to see him, which Jack wanted to avoid, instead he was armed with only a knife that he could hide in his sleeve. That way anyone who saw him would assume he lived in town and was on a walk. Within five minutes Jack was nearly at his destination.

“Took you long enough” A voice called from a yard that was off to the side. Jack smiled and took a sharp left, his eyes immediately finding the figure who had . Davey was sitting on the ground with his back against the tree. “I was starting to think you’d forgotten me”

“I could never” Jack sat next to Davey who leaned forward to kiss him. Jack could feel the tension leaving his body while Davey kissed him, except “Are you sure no one will find us here?” They usually met in more private places, such as a clearing in the woods, but that also came with a much longer commute.

“No, my parents and Les are asleep” Jack wasn’t sure what time it actually was, other than the fact that it was dark. So it did make sense that Davey’s family would be asleep “And even if they aren’t, there are no windows that face right here”

Jack pointed at the windows on the second floor “What are those?”

Davey leaned against Jack’s side and pointed “That one way over there is my room, and the two there are my sister’s room, but she doesn’t live with us anymore”

“Good” Jack took his chance to kiss Davey again. It felt like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Though it had only been about three months. Jack pulled away enough to talk “Did you get my letter?”

Davey smiled “Yes, though I don’t know if I’d consider it a letter as much as a drawing”

“Technicalities” Jack shrugged. It was true that most of his letters dissolved into drawings. Most of the drawings were of Davey, but a couple were something on the ship. Maybe his desk, or the complicated knots Rafaela tied effortlessly, or even Katherine, she was his best friend and a force to be reckoned with with she was angry. 

“I love the pictures of the ship and the crew,” Davey looked up at the sky “I can always feel the passion and the precision. Tell me about it, the ship that is, and the crew”

Jack rolled his eyes slightly. Davey always asked this, but Jack never got tired of answering. With his arm over Davey’s shoulder and the warm weight on his side. There was no where he’d rather be. “It’s amazing. Something about the open sea feels so free. After the way I grew up it’s refreshing to not feel tied down by unnecessary rules” Sometimes Jack’s past as nothing but a servant caught up with him. There was little worse than serving in Pulitzer’s kingdom. Especially when the king hated him for “corrupting” his daughter and feeding her rebellion. But on the ocean, with the wind in his hair it felt like there was nothing better. “The sun shines so brightly, and sometimes the sea goes on for miles.”

“It sounds wonderful” Davey sighed. His eyes were closed tightly and Jack could tell he was imagining it. Despite their being together for nearly three years Jack felt like he knew so little about Davey. He had never been sure why Davey always refused his offer to come with and join the crew on the ship, when it seemed like his biggest dream.

“You can come with,” Jack offered for what felt like the hundredth time. He always suggested it anyway in the hope that maybe Davey would say yes. “Join Katherine’s crew. She would love you, so would Jojo and Rafaela and everyone”

Davey blushed and covered his face “I can’t Jack, I need to stay”

“Why?” Jack put his hand over Davey’s in a comforting manner and Davey grabbed on tightly “Why can’t you come with?” Jack didn’t know why he was pushing more than usual, usually he would drop it without asking, but he was just tired of always leaving Davey “I love you”

“I love you too” Davey promised, “But I need to help my family, especially with Sarah gone”

“Okay” Jack said. That he did understand. Katherine had always been his family, and if she needed help he would always be there. That was one of the reasons he could never stay full time in Manhattan. 

In another world where Jack was not distracted by Davey’s hands on his own, and the other man’s ice blue eyes, Jack might have noticed the familiarity of Davey’s sister’s name. Maybe he could have put together the (very obvious) pieces that were being presented and the story would have progressed faster. As it was, Jack’s mind was only occupied with thoughts of Davey, and the most important puzzle piece slipped by. The time passed peacefully at one point they must have fallen asleep because Jack woke with his head in Davey’s lap.

Davey smiled when he noticed Jack was awake and leaned forward to kiss him again “Do you want to go inside?”

“I need to leave soon” Jack reminded. One look at the sky shows that the sun was already rising, the smallest beams peeking over the horizon..

“You have some time, right?” Davey raised his eyebrows in a way that was probably supposed to be innocent.

“I guess I have a little bit of time” Jack conceded. He’d already gotten enough sleep (though his neck might be a little sore the next day) so he just needed to get back in time for breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is a little thrown together, because in my original plan this chapter was something completely different, but I realized that if I wanted to do this chapter that I've been planning it needs to happen now in order for the story to make sense chronologically. So yeah. Chapter count is probably going to go up as I currently am not even sure exactly what the ending will be, but I know that we are not there yet. Anyway please leave comments to make my day!


	6. Awkward Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine has to admit, she's woken up in worse places than Sarah's couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I really need to go to bed. This isn't really edited, I apologize for that because I usually like to edit the chapter before I post them. Also this chapter is a lot of context and exposition because that's what I thought the story needed right now

Waking up on Sarah’s couch was nice. Well the actual waking up after sleeping on a couch was unfortunate and Katherine’s joints were voicing their complaints in an unpleasant way. But other than the soreness and the gross feeling after sleeping in her clothes, it was nice. Katherine could feel Sarah’s soft breath against her neck, and the warm weight that made Katherine want to go back to sleep. 

Instead Katherine blinked a couple of times and fully took in the sight of Sarah Jacobs sleeping on her chest. Sarah’s messy bun from last night had fallen out in her sleep and left her soft brown hair spread in a tangle around (and on) her face. Sarah’s expression was content and her breathing even, she looked like she didn’t have any problems, unlike awake Sarah who seemed to carry the world on her back. Her skit was pushed up showing her leg up to the thigh. Her usually neat blouse was unbuttoned slightly and wrinkled. 

One look outside showed that it was already light out, they must have slept late. It was a late and long night. They had sat on the couch, Katherine telling Sarah of the most recent adventures she had gone on, and explaining what led her to her place on Sarah’s doorstep. In return Sarah told her about why she was no longer living in Manhattan with her family and instead had ventured out to the Bronx where she occupied a position at the tailor sorting fabric. 

Katherine frowned slightly as she took in her current predicament. She probably needed to head back to the docks as her crew had hopefully already arrived, but in order to do so she would have to get up. Katherine really didn’t want to wake Sarah up, she looked like she needed the sleep, but Katherine also couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. “Sarah” Katherine whispered quietly. She shook the other woman’s shoulder softly “Sarah, it’s time to wake up”

“Shush” Sarah muttered pushing Katherine’s hand off her shoulder and rolling over to bury her face in Katherine’s chest.

Katherine waited a few seconds before shaking Sarah’s shoulder again, “Sarah!”

Sarah finally opened her eyes and sat up when she realized where she was “Sorry Kath, I must have fallen asleep”

“It’s fine” Katherine was sure that her admiration of Sarah was showing on her face but she couldn’t help it. Without thinking she reached forward and brushed the hair out of Sarah’s eyes “I didn’t want to wake you, but I need to leave”

“Oh,” Sarah’s face flickered with what looked like disappointment before she smiled “Well I better let you get ready” Sarah stood up from the couch and straightened her skirt before walking into the other room. 

Katherine went to work doing a mental checklist of everything she had when she arrived. She noticed that she was short a leather bracelet, but after looking all around the living room and not finding it Katherine decided that it must have fallen off during all the excitement of the other day. 

“Here, you need to eat something” Sarah appeared at Katherine’s side and handed her a plate with a couple pieces of toast.

“Thank you” Katherine accepted the plate and Sarah disappears out of the room again. Katherine is a little sad that Sarah didn’t sty, but she also knows that Sarah probably has things to do and Katherine doesn’t want to inconvenience her, so she finishes eating as quickly as she can. Katherine calls goodbye on her way out the door, and she distantly hears Sarah respond. 

Katherine can’t help herself from looking back while she walks away.

\---------

As soon as Katherine walks out the door Sarah feels all the energy drain out of her body. She puts down the plate that she’d been drying for ten minutes and stumbled her way over to the couch.  _ The couch that you slept on with Kath. _

“Shut up” Sarah groaned, pushing the voice out of her head. She needed to think, and that wouldn’t happen if she got caught up in memories of the (franky amazing) night.

She just spent the night with Katherine. Sarah is still in shock. After their night on the ship Sarah was not ashamed to admit that she thought they would never see each other again. Sarah had gotten her job in the Bronx only weeks after Katherine dropped her off. She hadn’t been lying when she told Katherine that she would need to see the taken girls parents every day. Sure they had all come home with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises, but Sarah still felt bad.

Every time someone she had known all her life called her a hero it got harder to live in the town she grew up in. Even Mrs. Dayton, the shop owner who had hated Sarah ever since she had shoplifted candy for herself and her brothers when she was 15, called her a hero. Everything felt wrong.

The way Les looked at her was wrong. Hell, even the way Davey was looking at her felt wrong. The brothers she used to have stupid fights with suddenly were looking at Sarah like she was an adult, a hero they should look up to. Sarah hated it.

While all the hero bullshit was happening Katherine was still there in the back of Sarah’s mind. How could she talk to her mom normally about future husbands and the future, when Sarah knew that that wasn’t what she wants. She doesn’t want to settle down and start a family. Though Sarah will only admit it when she’s alone, she wants to sail with Katherine, be as free as she was on that night, be able to protect herself, be able to love Katherine in a way that her mother might not approve of.

Sarah pulled the closest pillow over her face and sighed again in an especially dramatic way that made her feel better. And now she was even more in love with Katherine. After a night spent sharing stories from their lives how could she not be? Sarah felt like she knew Katherine better than anyone else. Sarah couldn’t believe that she just let Kath walk out of her life again, with no idea when of if they would meet again.

_ How cliche. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so the current chapter number is very wrong, but I don't actually know how wrong yet. It might be a little longer on the next chapter, I'm not sure. Please comment and stuff because then I usually feel motivated to write and the quality of the next chapter will be better.


	7. Katherine is Bad at Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Card games are the best way to pass the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is like the third filler chapter in a row and it's really short, but I swear the next chapter is where things are going to pick up again!

“Katherine if you don’t stop moping I swear to every god that has ever and will ever exist, I am going to kill you” Rafaela threatened. She slammed a card down on the deck to make her point, knocking over the unstable discard pile. It was a slow day and the crew had unanimously decided that cards was the best way to pass the time.

“Hey!” Jack complained, straightening the pile to its previous glory.

“Shut up,” Smalls rolled her eyes and shoved Jack's arm. “Rafaela is making a good point. I put up with Jojo and Buttons  pining after each other for a year and even I’m tired of it”

“I feel like I should object to that” Jojo said. She wasn’t actually playing cards, she had the night shift and was now laying with her head in Buttons’ lap. "That was an insult right? So I should defend the honor of my wonderful girlfriend"

“You’re sleeping” Buttons reminded. Jojo rarely got enough sleep, so Buttons had taken advantage of the slow day and convinced her girlfriend to take a nap.

“I don’t see what the problem is” Katherine muttered under her breath. She was losing horribly at cards but that was normal. The only person in the crew she even had a chance to beat was Sniper, but that was mostly because Sniper hates cards and always refused to play.

"Katherine you’re distracted” Rafael turned the conversation back to her previous point “You tripped over a barrel yesterday in the pantry”

Katherine swore under her breath, she had been hoping no one noticed that, she had been thinking about Sarah’s hair and how it must glitter in the sun with the gold streaks interlacing the brown. “That was nothing”

“I would disagree” Buttons said without looking away from her hand. After a second of thinking she put down the five of hearts.

Jack swore loudly when he saw the card “I give up” He tossed his hand onto the deck and collapsed on the deck.

“I do too” Katherine had been waiting for an excuse to get out of this conversation. “Jack we need to talk about our next raid. I have some ideas”

“Does that need to happen right now?” Jack complained. He picked up his hat and threw it in Katherine’s general direction.

“Yes” Katherine caught the hat and threw it back at Jack. “I’ll meet you in the map room in three minutes, if you’re late I’m promoting Jojo and demoting you”

“Yes!” Jojo pumped a fist in the air and Buttons softly moved it out of her face, leaning over to lightly kiss Jojo’s forehead.

\--------

Katherine carefully flattened the world map on the table. She had gotten it as a gift from Medda when she got her own ship, it was annotated with things Medda taught her and things Katherine had learned in the years since. It showed a diagram of when Pulitzer ships traveled that Katherine was always updating, which routes carried the most loot, which routes were most likely to be carrying prisoners or slaves, which routes Pulitzer himself used when he traveled. It was also marked with what cities welcomed Katherine’s crew and which were more hostile. Everything Katherine had learned about being a pirate was represented on this map, it even had stuff that crew members knew when they joined.

Katherine carefully took out her container that held pins to mark locations and began setting them out. She wanted to attack another ship soon, things had been quiet recently and Katherine was worried that her father was planning something.

“I think we should hit the S.R.Forty here before it gets to Lindon” Jack offered tracing a sharp line down the trade route. 

Katherine considered the idea “It will be full of cargo after leaving Flushing, but no one will be expecting it to dock for a couple of weeks which gives us plenty of time to return the cargo to Flushing and still get away safely”

“Exactly!” Jack pulled a spare piece of paper over and started writing something. “If I remember correctly this ship is also one of the least updated ones, so it shouldn’t have very many weapons”

“Jack you’re a genius” Katherine is hit with a wave of love for her best friend. She loves bouncing ideas back and forth with Jack. They make each other better and the ideas better.

“I try” Jack blushed slightly and pulled Katherine into a hug. Katherine buried her face in Jack’s shirt, even though she was a little too tall to do so without it being uncomfortable “Are you sure you don't want to talk about what has you so distracted?”

Katherine groaned. She really didn’t feel like talking about Sarah, it was embarrassing, she was a feared pirate captain yet she was falling apart because of a silly crush on a girl she had only seen for two days. “I’ll tell you if you promise to tell me about your so called secret pen pal friend”

“Deal” Jack pulled away and they both settled into chairs. “Okay so I met this boy when we were in Manhattan like three years ago. He’s so pretty Kathrine, he has these beautiful blue eyes and dark hair and when he smiles I feel like my heart is going to combust. I ran into him at the market and we got to talking, he’s so so smart and he cares about his family and his community so so much. We were friends for like a year, meeting whenever the ship docked there for a run. At some point I accidentally said I love you and he said it back”

“He sounds wonderful” Katherine couldn’t believe that she’d somehow missed all of this. “What’s his name?”

“David, but he goes by Davey” Jack smiled in a cheesy lovestruck way that Katherine memorized in her mind so that she could make fun of it later. “Now it’s your turn. Spill”

“Fine,” Katherine rolled her eyes. She wasn’t even sure where to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter count has been changed to 12, I think that's pretty close to the final number, but I'm not sure about that. I totally forgot it was update day, so sorry if this feels a little rushed. Please leave comments and reblog the post on tumblr! Thank you!


	8. Family Bonding Time ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you're chilling with your little brother in his room while you're home for the summer, when you suddenly hear screaming and cannon noises because the market is being attacked by pirates so then you have to go help fight the pirates to stop them from attacking people and keep them from setting your family's house on fire. Totally normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back! I got sick for two and a half weeks, it was a whole thing. Hopefully we'll be returning to a relatively normal update schedule (not as frequent as before, but hopefully there won't be another month long hiatus). On the bright side plot starts to happen and the story picks up!

Sarah knew something was wrong when she heard shouting.

She was visiting her family for the month, sitting in Davey’s room reading a book while he scribbled away at something on the desk. The first scream came right as Sarah was turning to the last page of the book. 

“What was that?” Davey craned his neck to see out the window, not that the window faced anything useful, only the woods behind the town.

“It sounded like–” Another scream sounded, this one was joined by others along with a sound that Sarah recognized as cannon fire “–screaming” She met eyes with Davey and they stood up in unison. Sarah threw her book on the bed and dug around in her bag until she came up with the small knife Katherine had given her years ago. She attached the sheath to its place on her forearm, her long sleeves slid down to cover it so it looked like nothing was there. By the time she turned around Davey had the door open and was speed walking down the hall. Sarah ran down the hall to catch up and they both stopped at Les’ room.

“Sarah? Davey?” Les looked out his bedroom door and the older siblings stopped “What’s going on?”

Sarah looked at Davey who shrugged helplessly. The screaming was nonstop at this point, intermittent by cannon blasts and explosions. “There’s something going on in the square. Davey and I are going to go check it out, I want you to stay here and hide if you hear anyone coming”

Davey leaned over Sarah’s shoulder so that he could speak into her ear “Are you sure we should leave him alone?” Davey whispered

“Are you going to stay here?” Sarah questioned. She knew that the answer was probably no, as much as she wanted to keep Davey out of trouble, he was his own person and he had the same curiosity and disregard for danger that Sarah had. Their house was one of the farthest from the square, in a rather poor unpopulated area. Les should be able to stay safe, he was smart and given the need he did have and trapdoor in his bedroom that led into the basement. (It was an old house)

“Do what Sarah just said” Davey hugged Les “Stay safe”

“You too” Les hugged Davey back and then hugged Sarah.

The door closed and Sarah waited until she heard the lock click before following Davey downstairs. The closer they got to the door the louder the screams were. Sarah put her hand on the door handle and looked at Davey. He nodded so she swung open the door. The street was emptier than Sarah had ever seen it. She saw a couple of the neighbors peeking out a crack in their windows but no one joined them. “The square” Davey pointed at the sky over the square, Sarah followed his eyes and couldn’t help the gasp that escaped.

“Is that smoke?” Sarah asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Davey locked the door to the house “We should hurry”

\---------

The square was chaos. Everything was on fire and Sarah could barely tell who the enemies were her eyes caught on a large man just as he ran his sword through the shopkeepers chest. That would be the bad guys. Out of the corner of her eye Sarah noticed a ship at the dock, with the Pulitzer pirate insignia on the side.  _ Shit. _ The pirates were everywhere, cutting down people in the square and stealing possessions out of booths. Sarah could do nothing more than stare. The smell of blood mixed with smoke was suffocating and the rational part of Sarah’s brain was encouraging her to run in the other direction.

“Help!” A woman yelled from where she was getting backed into a corner by a pirate with a sword. “Help me! Someone!”

Sarah was running before the woman finished calling for help, on the way she picked up a discarded broom from the ground and untied the bristles until only the stick was left. She pushed herself in between the pirate and the woman. “Back off” She held the broom in a way she hoped was threatening, keeping her feet square and her back straight

The man looked at her critically before laughing “You are going to challenge me? With a little stick?”   


Sarah rolled her eyes and swung the stick in one smooth motion, nailing the pirate in the head. He passed out and she offered a hand to the woman who couldn’t be older than twenty one. “Are you okay?”

The woman nodded jerkily, her hands were shaking when they took Sarah’s “Yes I’m fine”

“Good” Sarah glanced around the square, but there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger “Where do you live?”

The woman pointed to the side of the square that was on fire “I was trying to get past the fire when he came after me”

The only exits from the square on that side were blocked by burning debris. There was little chance that the woman would be able to get to her home, or that it would be a safe place to stay. “Do you know where Esther Jacobs lives?”

“Yes” The woman nodded. Sarah thanked the gods that her mother was so well known

“I want you to go there, go through the gate to the backyard and hide. Don’t let anyone see you” Sarah instructed. She watched the woman run out of the square to safety before running back into the fray. She wanted to go where she could be of the most help, but that seemed to be everywhere. Wherever she looked she just found more and more people who needed help, on the right of the square by the statute that she and Davey called the flower was a man who had propped himself against the statue and was holding his side attempting to stop the blood flow, on the other side of the square had a group of booth owners standing in a loose ring around a woman and her child fighting off any approaching enemies. 

Sarah had just made a decision on which way to go when something was brought down on her head and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry 'bout that cliffhanger, you'll live.


	9. Not Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah can't help the feeling of deja vu that hits her when she wakes up, to be fair it's almost exactly like the last time she got kidnapped by pirates (and wow is it weird that she's starting to get used to saying that?) dark; check, smells bad; check, group of people that all need rescuing; check. The only major difference is Davey's presence, but since he's unconscious that doesn't count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first time that I think the description is actually better than the chapter. Like I'm pretty proud of that one.

Sarah woke up to the rocking motions of a ship and a headache.  _ Not this again _ . She took in her surroundings best she could while staying still, hopefully any guards would think she was still asleep.

From what she could tell she was in the cargo hold of a ship, there were bars coming down from the ceiling that created two cells big enough to hold ten people. She was sitting on the ground with her back propped uncomfortably against the one wood wall of the cage and her shoulder pressed against the bars on the side, judging from the pain in her lower back someone had thrown her carelessly into the cell with no regard for safely. The cell was full of people and one glance to the side showed that the one next to her was as well. She could see Davey propped against the opposite wall of the opposing cell, but he seemed to be unconscious still.

Sarah didn’t see any guards so she took that chance to sit up and stretch. Her sleeve slipped down and she noticed that her knife was still where she put it on her arm.  _ Idiots. _ What was it with pirates never searching the women? She was too dainty to carry a weapon? 

“Ugh, men” Sarah muttered quietly when she noticed that the men in the cell next to her all had their hands bound in chains of some kind. Great so there was no possible way that  _ she _ cold break out of the cell. At least her captors stupidity was something that she could use as an advantage.

A groaning noise sounded from somewhere on Sarah’s left and a body shifted. Sarah quickly walked over and fell to her knees next to the woman whose eyes blinked open. “Miss are you injured?” Sarah asked looking over the woman, her healer training popping out from where her mother had drilled it into her head.

“My leg” She rolled over and Sarah finally recognized her as the woodworkers apprentice, Charlie. Who was the talk of the town when she first moved to Manhattan, due to her tendency to wear pants and keep her hair cut short.

“Can I roll up your pant leg to look at it?” Sarah asked waiting until Charlie nodded to see the injury. The pant leg was soaked with blood and Sarah stole a look backwards before she pulled out her knife to just cut it off when she noticed how Charlie was wincing from pulling it up.

“That isn’t fun” Charlie muttered when they got their first good look at the wound. Though the lighting was dark Sarah could already tell it was bad, she used the cleaner side of the pant leg to wipe off some of the blood, but it was replaced nearly immediately. It was a relatively neat cut that went all the way from Charlie’s ankle to her knee, from what Sarah could tell it was deep and due to the fact that they had no way to clean the wound to avoid infection would be hard.

“We need to put pressure on it” Sarah cut a square off her dress and instructed Charlie on where to hold it before pushing on said woman’s hand hard enough that Charlie had to hold back a yell from the pain. Usually Sarah would stitch the wound, but again she was dealing with a serious lack of resources. She gave the pressure as much time as she could, but the bleeding wasn’t slowing down and the color was slowly draining from Charlie’s face. Sarah considered calling for their captors, but Sarah found it unlikely they would be helpful, and then they knew that she was awake. “Charlie are you still with me?”

Charlie blinked a couple of times before answering “Oh yeah, uh it’s still bleeding”

“I’m going to put a tourniquet on it” Sarah explained slowly, there were risks associated with tourniquets, but she didn’t have much of a choice if she wanted Charlie to survive the trip “Do you know what that is?”

“Yep” Charlie’s words were starting to slur and Sarah could tell that she was near passing out.

“Okay I need something that I can tighten” Sarah thought out loud, she considered ripping a long rope from her skirt, but there was no way she could get it tight enough without a stick or something to twist. “I don’t suppose you’re wearing a belt?”

“I am” Charlie struggled to undo the leather belt at her waist, the blood loss made her movements slow and jerky, but eventually it came off.

“Okay this is going to hurt, probably a lot” Sarah told Charlie, slipping the belt under her leg.

“Go for it” Charlie nodded and Sarah pulled as hard as she could at which point she latched the belt and sat back to admire her handy work. Charlie was breathing fast, but other than that she didn’t look as bad as before, the blood flow was already slowing down. Sarah wanted to collapse, but she forced herself to look around that dark cell and found that more women had woken up.

“Is anyone else injured?” Sarah asked quietly, hopefully they had a while before anyone came downstairs. A couple of people raised their hands and Sarah couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to tell you that the next chapter will be up soon, but I honestly have no idea. I have like a plan for what's going to happen, also sorry this is so short! (Thanks for following along with my horrible update schedule) Anyway comments are good, kudos are also good, find me on tumblr, you know the drill!


	10. Do Pirates Ever Get a Day Off?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine's crew has an unexpected meeting with a pulitzer ship, and Sarah continues to be the emergency nurse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so turns out that this has been written for months and i just forgot to post it when i finished writing it which is fun.

Katherine grabbed the next closest knot and pulled herself up the final foot until she was even with the top of the mast. It was a slow day, devoted to travel and organization, all of the crew members finding something quiet to do. Katherine had spent the morning going through boxes from their most recent raid, separating the things they would keep on the ship, the things they would leave with the next town they docked in, and the things that would be thrown out. Katherine had grown bored of that after an hour, and she ran out of boxes before lunch. 

She pulled herself onto the mast and propped her back against the pole. The top of that mast was flat to make it easier to walk on when working with the sails, so it made a perfect place to sit and think.

Katherine let her head fall back to look at the sky. There was solid clouds covering the sun, the different grey colors mixing together in swirls, with blues and purples peeking through. There was a slight breeze, just enough to rock the ship, but not enough to throw Katherine off the mast. She could hear the waves, intermittent by soft conversation on deck. Buttons, Jojo, and Rafaela were sitting in a small circle talking quietly. Katherine could hear a word or two, but she mostly ignored them, it wasn’t her place to listen.

Katherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath, without meaning to, she found herself thinking about Sarah. Sarah’s eyes, and the way they sparkled when she laughed. Sarah’s hands, her long fingers that danced across countertops, with a grace that reminded Katherine of the dancers her father used to watch. She wondered what Sarah was doing, maybe making dinner or sitting on the couch. Katherine had never known how much she could miss someone she barely knew. Although, Katherine considered, she does know Sarah, she knows what Sarah likes, knows that Sarah wants to see the world, instead of staying trapped in a small town for the rest of her life.

“Hey Katherine!”

Katherine jumped slightly then struggled to regain her balance before looking down to the deck “What the fuck Jack? I almost just died”

Even from a distance Katherine could tell Jack was rolling his eyes “Your balance is perfect and I once saw you fall off that mast before catching yourself on the net with more grace than I have on solid ground”

That was true, though not much of an accomplishment since Jack was consistently one of the clumsiest people Katherine knew “What do you want?” She just wanted to daydream about Sarah.

“We might have a problem” Jack called “See that ship over in the east? It looks like one of pulitzer’s”

Katherine looked where Jack was pointing and couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped. He was right, the ship was a prime example of the ships her father had. Katherine swung off the mast and grabbed the net she had used to climb up. She was on the deck in seconds where Buttons, Jojo, and Jack were standing at the edge of the ship. She could already feel hints of panic creeping in, but she pushed them aside. She could panic later. “This is a code red, Buttons get everyone up on deck, make sure they’re armed. Jojo, makes sure everything is locked down from this morning. Jack-”

“As your second in command I am going to stand right here, next to you” Jack decided, putting his arm around Katherine’s shoulders. As much as Katherine wanted to make a quip about Jack undermining her leadership, she couldn’t help but lean into his comforting embrace. She hated surprises, whenever she interact with anything connected to her father she had always made sure it was on her terms.

“Why on earth have the ships switched up their routes?” Katherine wondered out loud. 

Jack shrugged, “I don’t know, but it can’t be good. Maybe they’re impatient, I hear Pulitzer has been getting desperate for money, what with the number of ships we’ve intercepted in the past year”

Katherine found herself nodding along absently while she considered where the ship could be coming from. The only town in that direction was “Manhattan. It’s cargo from Manhattan” Katherine felt Jack freeze at her side “I hope Esther is okay”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Jack said, in a voice that was almost robotic “They know how to stay safe”

“Boss we’re close” Sniper had somehow appeared from the kitchens and was already holding the bow she used whenever there was a fight.

“I know” Katherine took a deep breath so she had a second to sort out her thoughts. Sniper was almost always the last one on deck which meant that “Everyone is ready?”

“Yep,” Rafaela had appeared and was swinging her sword with practiced ease, making large deadly circles in the air.

“Then let’s do this” Katherine decided, sounding far more confident that she felt. The only good thing she had learned from her stint as royalty was how to appear confident even when she wasn’t, it was a skill that had served her well over the years.

\----------

Seven bandaged wounds and four concussions later everyone's injuries are treated and Sarah finally got to breathe. She leaned back against the wall and collected the thoughts that were swirling through her head. They were in trouble, that was for sure. She was sure that the ship was heading for some inescapable fortress where they would be split up according to usefulness. It would be nice if there was someway to escape sooner, but she could only swim so far. There was also the issue of Charlie, who needed medical attention sooner than she would probably get it. The other girl had been drifting in and out of consciousness, and even with the tourniquet she was looking paler and paler every hour.

Sarah sat up in excitement when she heard a yell from up top “Ship approaching!” The voice was muffled but the words were clear.

“Well we’re either saved or even more screwed” Davey’s voice declared. Sarah looked over to find him sitting next to her on the opposite side of the cage wall. She hadn’t even realized he was awake. “Before you ask I’m not hurt”

Sarah rolled her eyes slightly, but stopped examining Davey “You don’t know that. Maybe you have a concussion”

Davey looked unimpressed “I don’t have a concussion”

“But how do you know that?” Sarah wasn’t even sure why she bothered to argue, it wasn’t like she could treat a concussion in her current situation. Fighting with Davey just felt so normal, she could almost pretend they weren’t currently prisoners.

“I’ve had a concussion I know what it feels like” Davey insisted. There was more noise from up above and everyone fell quiet trying to listen.

“Ready the cannons!” A muffled voice called. More words followed but Sarah couldn’t make out what they were, whatever the words they were in for an interesting afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully ill be back with the next chapter soonish?? i am going to finish this if its the last thing i do. Leave comments and kudos and please reblog the post I make about this chapter on tumblr! the best way for authors to get exposure on tumblr is reblogs!


	11. It's All Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine rescues the prisoners and meets Jack's boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been so long since I've written this that i forgot what happened previously

Katherine felt a distinct sense of deja vu as she walked down one of the abandoned corridors of the enemy ship. It was just like that first day she met Sarah (and many other days, but that was the only important one).

A voice spoke and the only thing that stopped her from tripping on the floorboard was years of training. She listened closer as the voice at the end of the hall spoke of escape and freedom. That was Sarah. Katherine gave up on being stealthy and burst through the door, forgetting that she was walking into a room full of hostages that were planning an escape and had probably been expecting a guard to walk through the door.

A knife buried itself in the wall next to her head, Sarah having thrown it when she walked in. The other woman’s face quickly went from angry to confused when she saw who it was. “Kath?”

“Sarah,” Katherine breathed. Every aspect of her being wanted nothing more than to run forward and pull Sarah into a kiss, but the rest of the prisoners still seemed on edge and ready to attack her if she made a wrong move.

“Who the fuck are you?” A boy with black hair asked, he looked familiar Katherine noticed a slight resemblance to Sarah. They both had a similar facial structure and the same eyes, Sarah had mentioned brothers at one point, this must be one of them. Though Katherine couldn’t shake off the feeling that she recognized him.

“David” Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. “Everyone this is Katherine, she is one of the pirates who are dedicated to taking down Pulitzer, and redistributing the resources he has stolen. She is here to rescue us?” The last sentence came out as more of a question and Katherine realized that that was probably her cue to speak.

“Uh yeah. My crew and I are here to rescue you! So if you’ll all follow me-“ Katherine waved and the prisoners fell in line behind her. Katherine had been hoping that Sarah would walk next to her so at the very least Katherine could hold her hand, but she fell behind, helping one of the men pick up a girl who had seemingly fallen unconscious.

“Why does my sister know who you are?” David had caught up with her and was keeping pace at her side.

Katherine considered the question. They were friends, but also she didn't spend very much time making out with most of her friends. The word  _ lover _ popped into her mind, but she dismissed it. The word lover wasn’t right, it sounded like something from one of the romance novels that Jack loved to read and she didn’t know how much Sarah wanted David to know about them. “I guess you could say that we are friends”

“Uh-huh,” David still looked skeptical “How long have you known each other?”

Katherine was looking at David, her memory suddenly sparking with recognition “Wait, you’re Esther Jacobs’ son”

Before David had a chance to respond they arrived at the end of the hallway. Katherine held up and hand, effectively quieting the chatter that had started up throughout their small group. There was a distinct lack of sound, none of the usual noises that accompanied a battle, no swords clanging, or cannons firing. The fight was over, hopefully Katherine’s crew came out on top.

She opened the door slowly, ready to close it and regroup in case of a loss. The first person that came into view was Rafaela, smirking as she pointed a sword at the next of one of the pirates. Katherine let the door open the rest of the way and found her crew standing in a bruised circle around the pirates who were all tied up.

“Cap, there you are” Rafaela grinned at her and put her sword away once Jojo finished tying up the pirate. 

Katherine looked around the deck and took count of her crew. “Where’s Jack?”

“Oh he’s right over-“

“Jack?” David asked, Katherine felt the pieces in her brain click together.  _ Oh, it’s Jack’s David _ . Next thing she knew her kinda girlfriend’s brother was making out with her best friend/assistant captain. She watched as Jack pulled away and appeared to check Davey for injuries while ignoring the look that Katherine was shooting his way.

“Is that Jack’s mystery boyfriend?” Rafaela asked, despite the fact that they all knew the answer.

“Yep” Katherine rolled her eyes slightly and turned away from the spectacle to examine the now freed prisoners. She found Sarah in the crowd where she was still standing by the unconscious girl, now that they were in better light the injuries looked a lot worse “Where is Buttons? They need medical care”

“She’s been setting up our med bay since the fight ended” Smalls responded, she was walking across the board in between the two ships, probably having just come from helping with the med bay set up.

Katherine nodded and met eyes with Sarah who looked concerned. “Can you show us where the med bay is?” The man next to her who was holding the girl nodded and followed behind Smalls who led them to the other ship.

There was so much to do, but Katherine barely knew where to start. She needed to talk to Sarah but there was no way that was happening until the rest of the mess got cleaned up. First things first “Jack stopping making out with your boyfriend and help me”

David and Jack startled and broke apart. Katherine deftly realized that there was apparently no need to be worried about how David would react to her and Sarah’s-  _ thing _ -considering that he had already fallen in with one of Katherine’s crew members. “Captain” Jack grinned as he fell into place at her side, looking entirely too smug.

Katherine ignored Jack and began giving orders, she wanted to sink this ship as soon as possible, which meant getting everything valuable and everyone, off of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this isn't really edited, I'm tired and i just want it out there

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm starting a multi chapter newsbians fic despite having no free time and having another fic already in progress, leave me alone. Uh 8 chapters is a total shot in the dark and will probably change as I write this. Go find me on tumblr [@musicals-musicals](https://musicals-musicals.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also please leave comments and kudos if you want to make my day and if you want chapter two!


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